The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB DCA15WA054 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Hal DHRUV accident near Tena, Ec, January 27, 2015

On January 27, 2015, a Hal DHRUV (helicopter), registered FAE605, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Tena. It was flown under military rules. 3 people were killed.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
January 27, 2015
Place
Tena, Ecuador
Type
Accident
Injuries
3 people were killed.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Hal DHRUV
Registration
FAE605 · no longer on the register
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Flight · military rules

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

The Civil Aviation Authority of Ecuador has notified the NTSB of an accident involving an Ecuadorian Air Force Hal Dhruv helicopter, which occurred on January 27, 2015. The NTSB has appointed a U.S Accredited Representative to assist. All investigative information will be released by the Government of Ecuador.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Fire on the ground

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew3

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.